Anglophone South School District / EECD 704
policy no. ASD-s-735 /
Pediculosis /
Category / Health and Safety /
Subject / Pediculosis
Adopted /
Revised / February 2016
Policies Used / Referenced / 8-815
Policy Statement
Because Pediculosis (head lice) is an insect that can spread through close personal contact, outbreaks are common in schools. Monitoring and controlling the spread of head lice requires cooperation and support among schools, Public Health and parents/guardians.
ProceduresAt the beginning of each school year, the Principal, or designate, shall provide to parent/guardians information about head lice and the need for them to periodically conduct a thorough check of their child’s head to determine if they have lice or nits (see attached brochure – Appendix A); in addition to the provision of hard copy head lice information.
The principal, or designate, may conduct parent information sessions or distribute literature on the identification and treatment of head lice. Parents can be directed to the ASD-S website for information. Healthy Learners school nurses may be contacted for assistance in this regard.
The Principal, or designate, shall ensure that cursory head checks are done at the school if there is suspicion of an outbreak of head lice. However, this does not absolve parents/guardians of their responsibility to conduct a more thorough check at home.
When it becomes evident that there is an outbreak of head lice at the school, or when a parent/guardian notifies school officials that their child(ren) has head lice, the Principal or designate will:
a) Decide whether to inform either:
i) the parents/guardians of children who have been exposed to head lice at the school; or
ii) the parents/guardians of the entire school population.
b) Communicate to parents/guardians, based on the decision above, that this is not an emergency situation;
c) Ensure that all parents/guardians have written information about the identification and treatment of head lice.
Children can return to school when all live lice have been removed and treatment has been started.
Students with nits can return providing parents/guardians continue to remove them.
If insufficient treatment is causing a student or their family to suffer recurrences of head lice, the Principal or designate may offer to contact the Healthy Learners Nurses so that a home contact may be made by them to offer advice.
Reference
APPENDIX A
Head Lice
Date:
Dear Parent/Guardian:
At school today a member of your child’s class was found to have head lice.
· Please review the attached sheets ”Head Lice Fact Sheet”
· Examine your child’s hair for signs of head lice. Head lice are often hard to see and move rapidly when the hair is parted while searching for them.
· Applying thick, white, inexpensive, hair conditioner slows the head lice down, so they can be trapped, seen & removed by combing with a metal “nit” comb.
· If head lice or eggs (nits) are found in your child’s hair, all other members of the household must be checked as well. The conditioner method as mentioned above is recommended for detection.
· Treatment is only necessary for those who have head lice and/or eggs (nits) and should all be treated at the same time.
· See attached for recommended treatments to be followed closely.
Dear Parent:
At school today your child was found to have head lice.
Head lice are tiny insects that live in human hair. They are not caused by poor hygiene and they do not carry diseases. Head lice transfer from child to child when their hair is in close contact, e.g. while playing or doing schoolwork. For this reason, head lice infestation is relatively common in children.
The attached Head Lice Fact Sheet, Non-insecticidal Treatment Sheet, and Hair Conditioner Treatment Sheet explain how to check for and treat head lice. It is also important to check all other members of your household for head lice. The conditioner method is recommended for detection. Treatment is necessary for only those who have lice and/or eggs. It is important to treat these people at the same time.
Finally, please complete the section below and send it back to the home room teacher when your child returns to school, to confirm that you have begun the recommended head lice treatment. It is necessary to begin treatment before your child returns to school.
Thank you
PRINCIPAL
Date:
Cut here
------
CONFIRMATION OF HEAD LICE TREATMENT
Child’s Name:
Date treatment started …../…../…..
Treatment used: …………………………………………………………………………….
§ I understand that head lice treatment must continue over a 10-day period where all eggs are removed from the hair
§ I have read the enclosed Head Lice Fact Sheet
Parent’s signature: ______. Date: ______.
Flow Chart: When a Student has Head Lice
Head Lice Fact Sheet
What are head lice?
Head lice are tiny insects that live on the human scalp. These insects lay eggs called nits, which stick to the hair close to the scalp. Head lice do not spread disease. Having head lice does not mean you are not clean.
How are head lice spread?
Head lice are spread by head-to-head contact with another person who has head lice. They cannot fly, jump or swim. Brushes and combs can transfer mature head lice. Lice are not likely to leave a warm head to lurk in clothing, furniture and bed linen where it is cold and there isn’t any food. Therefore these items are less likely to spread head lice.
What are signs of head lice?
· One of the first signs may be itching or scratching
· Crawling head lice are hard to see because they can run quickly (up to 30 cm per minute) and hide from searching hands. Adult lice are usually dark brown and about 2-3 mm long. Hatchlings (young lice) are often a lighter brown and about 1-2 mm long.
· Eggs (nits) are easier to see.
· Nits are firmly attached to the hair close to the scalp.
· Nits are grey-white, oval in shape and are about the size of a grain of salt.
· Nits may look like dandruff but cannot be flicked off.
How do I look for head lice?
1. Shampoo the hair.
2. Rinse and towel dry.
3. Put a generous amount of inexpensive conditioner to cover the whole scalp.
4. Untangle the hair with a wide tooth comb.
5. Section and comb the hair with a metal fine-tooth nit comb which easily separates the hair and has teeth that do not bunch together. An example of this is the LiceMeister® Comb. After each stroke, wipe the comb on a paper towel and look for lice. Pay particular attention to the hair behind the ears and at the nape of the neck, and be sure to comb out the whole head.
What do I do if I find head lice?
· Using the conditioner method, check all family members to see if anyone else has head lice. Treatment is necessary for only those who have lice and/or eggs. It is important that these people be treated at the same time.
· Choose one of the treatments on the attached pages and follow the instructions carefully.
· Inform the school or daycare and all close contacts including friends and relatives
· When treatment is completed, with all the head lice and eggs removed, check the hair regularly, e.g., weekly, for any further head lice infestation. The earlier the detection, the better.
Household Cleaning
Head lice do not live long away from the scalp and nits are unlikely to hatch at room temperature. Excessive cleaning of personal, school and household items is therefore not necessary. As a precaution, wash bed linen, hats, combs, or brushes in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. Storing items in plastic bags for 10-14 days also kills the lice.
Exclusion from School/Daycare
Students will be excluded from school if live lice are found on their head. They may return to school once treatment has been initiated, and there is no longer evidence of live lice. The parent must continue treatment until all eggs and hatchlings have been removed.
‘Trouble-shooting’ Checklist
If treatment is unsuccessful, check the following:
· Was the insecticide/non-insecticide treatment applied exactly as directed and repeated in 7-10 days?
· Was the hair combed and checked daily using plenty of conditioner, and all visible nits removed for 10 days (the hatch cycle of the eggs)?
· Was a good quality metal fine tooth ‘nit’ comb used?
· Have all other household members been checked and treated if necessary?
Prevention Activities/Ideas to Help Prevent Infestation
· Check your child’s hair every week for head lice and eggs (nits) – use a metal fine tooth nit comb and plenty of hair conditioner to make the task easier and more effective. To help children sit still for this, offer distracting activities, e.g., play a favorite video, provide games, encourage reading, etc.
· Tie long hair back – braid and/or put up if possible.
· Consider applying hair gel or mousse – these do not prevent or repel lice but help keep stray hair strands from contact with other heads.
· Avoid sharing combs, brushes, hats, elastics and headbands.
· Remind your child to try to avoid head-to-head contact with other children, e.g., when working at the computer with others, when playing, hugging, group “selfies”, or sleep-overs.
Hair Conditioner Treatment for Head Lice
10 Day Hair Conditioner Treatment for Head Lice
Head lice can be more easily removed by applying plenty of hair conditioner to hair before combing to remove live lice and eggs (nits). Any type of hair conditioner may be used, including inexpensive ‘generic’ brands, together with a metal fine-tooth ‘nit’ comb such as the LiceMeister® comb.
How does it work?
The hair conditioner works by immobilizing the lice so that it is easier to trap them in the teeth of the comb. Without the hair conditioner to slow them down, lice can be difficult to catch – they can run about 30 cm in 60 seconds. Hair conditioner also reduces friction, making combing easier, especially when using a metal fine-tooth ‘nit’ comb that the teeth don’t bunch together and the hair separates easily. An example of this type of comb is the LiceMeister® Comb. Even if only one or two lice are missed, they can lay about 6 eggs per day, and the cycle of infestation will continue.
Why the 10 day treatment period?
Generally, eggs ‘nits’ will hatch 7-8 days after being laid on the hair shaft. However, some researchers have found that a few eggs may hatch as late as 9-10 days after being laid. The 10-day period is therefore recommended as the most effective time to break the reproductive cycle of the head lice.
What to do:
· Apply plenty of hair conditioner to the hair until saturated.
· Comb through with an ordinary comb or brush to remove tangles.
· Section and comb the hair thoroughly with a metal fine-tooth ‘nit’ comb in 4 directions – forwards, backwards, left and right. Use additional conditioner, if the comb tugs the hair or the hair is too dry.
· Wipe the comb on a white paper towel to check that the dark adult lice or the paler hatchlings are being removed. Hatchlings are young lice which emerge from eggs. You may need to use a magnifying glass and a strong light to see the lice and eggs.
· Using white hair conditioner may make it easier to see the head lice.
· Rinse the hair conditioner out and dry the hair.
· Repeat this process every day for 10 days to cover the hatching period of the eggs. This removes the hatchlings which emerge from missed eggs.
· After completion of the 10-day treatment, check for lice reinfestation once a week for at least 4 weeks. Hair conditioner makes the inspection easier.
· Check all other household members for head lice infestation using the method described above.
How to remove eggs:
Some eggs will be removed by combing, but others are harder to detach. You may need to use your fingernails to remove as many eggs as possible from the base of the hair shaft near to the scalp. Remember, only those eggs within 1 cm of the scalp will hatch. Those eggs which have grown further out the hair shaft will already be hatched or dead; however, it is recommended that all nits be removed.
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